Prepare the Way for the Lord

About 20 years ago, I was reading to my husband about a revival that had been on campuses in the 1990's. I came to a verse in Isaiah: "Build up, build up, prepare the road!" Suddenly to my surprise, I began to cry not understanding why except that I sensed this verse had something to do with the future.

More recently, the Lord impressed upon me Isaiah 40:3: "A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"

In those days, when an Eastern monarch began a journey, the people went ahead to prepare a road, leveling the mountains and building bridges through the barren land. God says there is a highway we must prepare for His coming, and it is a Highway of Holiness. "And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness...only the redeemed will walk there" (Isa. 35:8, 9).

Christ's Church is in a spiritual desert, and many of us are asking God to come to revive His people. Henry Blackabee declared, "All revival praying is an offense to God if we do not have a clean heart. It is almost blasphemy to ask a holy God to bless us when our hearts are unclean before Him."

I remember my Grandpa Schloeman's standing up in testimony time in church and singing, "Nothing between my soul and the Savior." He knew it was true and sang it with great joy. We, too, can bring our hearts into God's presence and allow Him to show us if all hindrances to Him are removed. He can make our hearts match His holy heart.

Only if holiness is a patten for our lives are we prepared to intercede for His coming whether we are asking God to come to our family, our church, or our nation. "If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (Ps. 66:18 NLT).

Isaiah was saying "Prepare the way" to people who did not yet see the King, but they dared to believe He was coming. With cleansed hearts, we can dare to believe He is coming in response to our prayers.

Oh, Lord, is my life a highway of holiness so I can pray and dare to believe You will come in revival power?

"Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart" (Ps. 24:3, 4).